


Late Harvest

by SquishyCheeks



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Drama, Emotional Baggage, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, I’m sensitive, Love, Relationship(s), Romance, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, baby’s first fanfic, idiots to lovers, in progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:27:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25602076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquishyCheeks/pseuds/SquishyCheeks
Summary: She hadn't been awake for terribly long, but she was exhausted. Her skin painful to the touch, a low hum of electricity flowing overtop. Laboriously, she approached the door. She let out a pained breath, turning the knob, slowly pushing it open and stepping inside.Despite its incredible aging, it was just the same as the last day she'd seen it. All warm browns of the earth and the stony tiling of a cozy lodge. A faint fog of dust filled the air, catching the sunlight that streamed in through the broken curtain slats. The low rumble of the ancient furnace and the faint smell of old wood-burning swaddled her.She backed against the front door and sank to the ground, pulling in her legs to her chest and resting her cheek on her knee. A child, tender and pink, in a great womb.
Relationships: Haley & Leah (Stardew Valley), Haley/Leah (Stardew Valley), Penny & Sam (Stardew Valley), Penny/Sam (Stardew Valley), Sebastian & Female Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian & Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian/Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 53





	1. Recast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The bottom is a rock,  
> you’ve got to push uphill until you  
> drop”  
> -Mother Mother (The Bottom is a Rock)

Working as a nameless sales representative for a soulless conglomerate was admittedly not the career of which Edie had dreamt. She used to think about the boundlessness of life. But her dreams had died, it seemed. They were bleached under the fluorescent lamps, pale and lifeless.

She thought about her grandfather a lot, especially on the bad days. His death wasn’t a surprise. He’d been a pack-a-day smoker since the age of 15, if anything it was a surprise that he’d made it all the way to 90. What was surprising was how unprepared she was to actually face it. He was unwell for so many years before he passed. She had been over the inevitability of death hundreds of thousands of times, trying to fortify herself against his looming demise. It wasn’t until she got the call from her mother that she fully understood death’s finality. The reality of his death was still too painful to bear, even years later.

So she trudged forward, burying herself in her career, drowning her sorrow in paperwork. It was an excellent distraction, until it wasn’t. She didn’t expect that seven years down the road her work would become it’s own ugly grief. The monotony of her existence at Joja made her more numb with each passing week. Even the city she once dreamed to be a part of, humming with energy and impossibly colourful, began to take on the same grayscale as her cubicle.

“Are you coming for drinks tonight?”

The sudden voice startled her out of her work. She jumped, but her coworker didn’t seem to take notice, tapping away on her phone.

“Oh, shit, uh, I didn’t know anything was going on,” Edie stuttered.

“Yeah, it’s Todd’s birthday, do you even look at the group chat?”

 _Todd? Who the fuck is Todd?_ “Sorry, I’ve been a little out of it today,” _Is there even a Todd that works here?_ “where is everyone meeting?”

“The Spot at 9.”

“The spot?”

“Yeah.”

“What spot?”

“You know, The Spot? On Main and 15th?”

“Oh! Yeah, of course.”  
_The Spot? What a fucking ridiculous name for a bar. Was it even a bar?_

“I’ll see you there, then?”

“Sure.”

“Sweet.”

The woman trotted away, her heels clicking on the linoleum, fingers still tapping on her phone. It occurred to Edie, for a moment, that she’d never even looked up from her screen.

Once more, Edie thought about her grandfather.

* * *

Edie doesn’t recall the bus ride home from work. She’d gotten so good at receding into herself and letting her body take over that she didn’t have to actively do anything most of the time, floating awash amidst keyboards and pleasantries.

Her body seemed to take care of itself reasonably well enough on it’s own. They weren’t dead yet, anyway. When Edie did try to focus, notably on flat-ironing her hair, her skull felt as if it were stuffed with cotton. Everything felt a little blurry, a little muddled.

She dug through her closet. Nothing was good enough. Nothing seemed to fit quite right. The excessive take-out food had begun to lay claim to her most undesirable areas and her once favoured clothes protested the change. “Something else to add to the list,” she thought aloud. Frantically, she searched for something. She ripped clothes from hangers, and tore articles out of her drawers.

She lost track of how a many shirts she’d tried on, and begun desperately clawing at the pile. She hauled an old pair of jeans from the back corner of the closet and froze.

The corner of an dainty wooden box peeked out from under a dress. Edie paused for a moment and pulled the dress slowly away from the box, afraid to startle it, or perhaps herself.

She eyed the old music box, regarding it like an ancient relic she’d unearthed. She lightly touched the delicate design carved into its edges, and pulled it toward her. She held her breath for a beat and opened it tentatively. The old box began to chime as she lifted the lid, revealing an off-white envelope.

Edie’s vision blurred with tears. She considered opening it, but decided it felt too sacred, too final. She dabbed the tears perched on her bottom lashes, placed the letter back in the box, and set the box on her nightstand.

* * *

The cab ride felt too quick.

She hoped she would be sat there for longer, listening to the driver drone on about whatever struck him in the moment. Transit was a neutral zone, one that didn’t require a performance. At that point, she only met up with people for those few minutes of calm on the way to and from.

Edie slunk out of the cab and straightened the dress she’d finally settled on. She stepped through the entrance of the bar to an assault of noise and light. She hadn’t planned on drinking much tonight, but if the rowdy patronage was any indication, she most definitely needed a drink to survive it.

A few of her coworkers flashed her a smile at a nearby table.

“You finally decided to show up, huh?” One of them yelled over the music.

“Sorry, I got a little caught up.” Edie sputtered.

Everybody was a few drinks ahead of her, there was no doubt about that. Most of the people at the table hadn’t even realized someone else had joined them. A waitress stopped at their table to collect orders.

“What can I get for ya?”

Edie strained to hear her. “I’ll take a double whiskey sour.”

Edie caught one of her coworkers twirling her hair, laying a hand on the shoulder of one of the managers. Nothing out of the ordinary, but still not exactly pleasant to watch. Edie softly touched the waitress’s elbow before she escaped, “I’m so sorry, I’ll also have a shot of tequila please.”

* * *

  
The night was hazy. A blur of colours and noises. Indistinct voices shouting atop heart-throttling drums. It was uncomfortable, and also mesmerizing.

Flesh. Edie seemed to remember a lot of flesh, which struck her a little odd. Hundreds of people clasped together in a writhing mass. The woman in the heels gave her something. She took it, didn’t she? Her head hurt. Her brain felt like it was bobbing in a thick honey, tumbling around in her skull. She tried to move, thighs agonizingly peeling away from one another. Her joints ached.

Her eyes creaked open and the window came into view. She noticed the sky, soft with dawn’s approach. She also abruptly realized that those were absolutely not her curtains. Near-paralyzed with horror, she scanned the room until she saw the outline of a man laying next to her. She thought hard for a moment. Pinprick memories crashed together: a cab, a light, a door, a hand. But that’s all. It had been a solid year since anyone had touched her, and now she couldn’t even remember if that streak continued.

Gently she turned over and lifted the blankets, feet softly touching the floor, and shimmied out of the unfamiliar bed. She found her clothing scattered around the floor and put the articles on hurriedly, nearly tripping over a cone birthday hat and an especially ugly “Birthday Boy” ribbon. Edie padded over to the door and opened it ever so carefully. Despite her efforts, a great creak sprung forth. She winced.

“Are you leaving” the strange man said, as he stirred from his sleep. He’d likely have been handsome if not for the drool and matted hair.

“Oh, uh,” She stuttered, “I have a meeting in a few hours, so I have to head out.”

“Mm,” He grumbled. He wasn’t even fully awake. She should have just run for it.

“Anyway... happy birthday.”

“It’s not my birthday,” he replied distantly, “it’s in August.”

She froze. Who was this person?

“Right. Sorry. Bye.”

She closed the door behind her, making a dash to the apartment door.

Edie’s head pounded with every step. She tried to scramble into her jacket, but her balance was still off, and she relented. It wouldn’t be useful to try again.

Tequila, she supposed, had much further reaching effects than she’d ever realized.

She called a cab in the foyer. She doesn’t remember much after that.  
  


* * *

_The air is thick. The room is damp and musky. Swirls of dust pass through the light cascading in between the slats of the blinds. Joints creak as she moves to the other side of the room. Her tongue itches horribly. The ridges in the roof of her mouth feel sharp, like shards of glass. Her toe catches a stray floorboard. She thuds heavily into the ground. The mirror reflects her image. She’s all sagging skin and angles. She reaches up to scratch her tongue and catches her finger on one of the shards. She scratches it out. It’s a small rock. She pulls back her lips to examine the scene. Trails of moss have grown over her teeth. She cries._

* * *

The trail of light from the late afternoon sun crept up to Edie’s face. She winced at the intrusion. A low thrum of pain sat quietly behind her eyes. Her heart felt off-beat underneath her rib cage, a bass drum with a drunken percussionist.

Edie painstakingly sat up and rubbed her eyes, an ice flow making its way down her spine.

 _My things_.

Edie patted around her bed and looked over to her floor. Her cards, keys, phone (with a new crack in it to boot) all lay in a heap with her clothes. It was a small mercy, and a welcome surprise.

Edie opened her phone and took stock of any damage. She sent no incriminating texts, thankfully. She also didn’t receive any, she noted, before locking it once more and putting it on to charge.

Her head throbbed again. Her joints felt like they were rusted in place. Her existence felt off kilter. Surely, she’d caused irreparable damage to her reputation. What little reputation she had, that was. Years in the same space and only a few acquaintances to show for it. What a waste. Of time. Of flesh. Of life.

She wished for a moment that she could just disappear. To sink into the down of her pillow. To have it swallow her whole. To fade. She’d considered the bliss of full body disintegration more and more frequently. It was hard to explain, and it wasn’t like she had anyone to tell about it anyway. Hell, maybe she was just weird. Or annoying. Or gross. Or a winning combination of all three.

Edie pressed the heel of her palm into her eyes, hoping to stop the building pressure from exploding out. Regrettably, it did little to quiet her mind. Finding it to be a useless venture, she grabbed her blankets, threw them off, and made her way to the kitchen to make coffee. She gulped heartily, with the ferocity of a starving woman.

It was then that she made her way back into her bedroom and spotted the corner of the music box. Her breath caught in her throat. How could it have possibly slipped her mind? She crept up to it, and ran her fingers across the delicate patterns emblazoned on the lid, hesitating a moment before she opened it. The memory floated foreword. 

-

A fragile hand rests atop hers. Much thinner, much greyer in colour than it used to be, but just as tender and gentle. The watch on his wrist clicks softly.

“There will come a day when you feel crushed by the burden of modern life.”

His voice is shaky, and so much weaker. Edie grips the letter he gave her in her other hand, unintentionally crumpling it in the middle.

“And your bright spirit will fade before a growing emptiness.”

Edie’s tears are hot and dense. They streak down her face, and hit the floor.

“When that happens, my dear, you’ll be ready for this gift.”

“I love you,” she chokes out between sobs.

“I love you too, sweetie,” he gives her hand a light squeeze “I always will.”

-

Edie picked up the envelope. She carefully pulled back the precisely placed wax seal, and leafed through the contents. She found a letter, declaring what is assuredly her desperation to escape the grind of corporate life, several hundred dollars in cash, a picture of her and her grandfather standing on his old front porch, a small business card that she didn’t recognize, and finally, a rather professional looking document. She fumbled for her bed, and hoped she could hold herself upright when she realized what she was looking at. A deed to her grandfather’s farm, Satyr’s Brook, in Stardew Valley.

* * *

  
Edie clutched the phone to her ear. It rang endlessly. Maybe she’d read the deed wrong, or got the wrong phone number. She heard a click and a worn voice crackled through from the other side.

“Pelican Town Town Hall, this is Mayor Lewis, how can I help you?”

Edie stuttered. She thought about hanging up, but her panic locked her hands into place.

“Hello?”

She was shocked back into the moment, her jaw moved rustily.

“Uh-hi, yes, mayor Lewis?”

“Speaking.”

“This is Edith calling.”

“Edith...?” He drew her name out, not making any connections.

“Sorry, ah, Edith Lowenthal, I’m Elijah’s granddaughter.”

The air went silent. Edie questioned whether he’d hung up on her.

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

“...I’m sorry?”

“Pardon me, yes, Edith, apologies, I just wasn’t expecting to hear from you today, what can I do for you?”

“I just, I found a letter from my grandfather, or I didn’t find it, it’s not like it was lost or anything just buried under... things. You know how it is,” she stammered “Um. It appears that I am the owner of Satyr’s Brook now, or something?”

 _All those telephone etiquette courses really went to good use,_ she thought, knocking her clenched fist against her forehead. “My grandfather wrote that I should contact you, and left your business card, did I misunderstand the process or?”

“Yes, well,” he said, “just give me a moment to collect my files here.” She heard him rifling through novels worth of paper until finally an AHA and the kuchunk of a filing cabinet. “We have a list of instructions to follow through with in the event that I received a call from you. Your grandfather kindly prepaid a few of our esteemed trades-folk to service the home prior to your arrival. I’ll have to contact them urgently to get everything set up for you. Elijah was nothing if not thorough.” She wondered how he didn’t sound out of breath. He was chipper, all his words in staccato like he was site reading a teleprompter. “When are you planning on arriving?”

“Oh, I,” Edie blinked in surprise, “I don’t... know if I even thought that far ahead.”

“You’ll be coming to live in Stardew Valley, will you not?”

Edith opened her mouth, grasping for anything to say, but instead sat on her bed looking incredulously into a great gaping nothing.

“I. Well, I wanna come visit, I wanna see the old farm, I don’t know if I considered moving there permanently.”

“Oh.” He said, clearly trying his hardest to mask his surprise. “Well, as I said the work is prepaid so you wouldn’t have to spend a dime on the preliminary maintenance. If you are coming, I don’t see why I couldn’t give you some time to make up your mind about your living situation, and get any required paperwork filled out on a later date. I would need to know when you’re arriving though if you’d like to have any required work done before you arrive.”

“Yeah, of course, when works best for you, a few weeks, months?”

“Oh goodness, no, Robin is very efficient, she’s a carpenter by trade but is very skilled in many areas. The house looks fairly run down but she’s been in periodically to maintain the property since Elijah’s passing. She’d need maybe a week at the most to get it up and running for you.”

A week. That was all. It was a frightening timeframe, but that meant she would only need to survive another week in the city.

“I’ll see you in a week then.”

“Terrific! I’ll call you with any details you might need. Don’t hesitate to pick up the phone if you have any questions or concerns.”

“Thank you. So much.”

“Of course, I’m thrilled to have you as a potential new resident of the Valley.”

“Thanks, bye.”

“Take care.”

_Click._

Edie put her phone face down on her nightstand and looked at her papers.

She quickly grabbed her laptop to write her resignation letter before she lost her nerve, faltering slightly and nearly dropping it as she lifted it from the floor to her lap.

She typed.

“To whom it may concern...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit:   
> EXTREMELY PLEASED that the number of hits on this fic surpassed the weed number.  
> Currently hoping to get the number of Kudos up to the sex number, so please leave a Kudos if you would like to help me achieve this momentous goal.  
> Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk.
> 
> If you’re reading this, Hi! Wow! Very cool of you to have read my very first ‘published’ chapter of anything ever!!
> 
> Please keep in mind that I am extremely soft and have no idea what I’m doing, but I hope to keep updating with content that you’ll enjoy, whoever you are. Tell me about yourself in the comments!
> 
> Thank you!


	2. Emergence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The mountains are waiting,  
> The full moon has come.  
> I got lost on highways,  
> But don’t ask me where I’ve been,  
> Or what I’ve done.”  
> -Gorillaz (Amarillo)

Edie clapped the dirt off of her hands that she’d mysteriously acquired despite scrubbing the apartment top-to-bottom. Packing was a remarkable task, although she hadn’t collected much since moving in. The only real trinkets she had were the music box, and several prints a friend from high school had made. The rest was purely utilitarian. Minimalism was a choice meant to encourage freedom of mind and soul, but she was simply grateful that she only had one mountain of boxes rather than four.

She looked around the apartment, last box in hand, and huffed a sigh of satisfaction. She noted that she’d need to remember to find someone to sublet the apartment, else continue to pay out the wazoo until her lease ended. She closed the door, turned the latch and trekked to her car, struggling to keep hold of the box. She’d get on the road much later than she had hoped, but luckily got a hold of someone at the Stardrop Saloon. A chipper young woman picked up the phone and said that they had a room available for the night. She seemed excited as there hadn’t been a guest in a while. She sounded nice. Maybe she’d be her friend. It would be nice to have an actual friend.

Edie shoved the box into the trunk, closed the hatchback with a loud thunk, and hoped quietly that nothing broke.

She got an extremely strong iced coffee on the way out of town in case she needed it to stay awake, though she barely touched it. Rather, she bit at the skin around her nails, making a few dodgy lane changes and garnering the wrath of several other motorists. The sun set quietly behind her, changing the landscape from a vibrant gold to a deep indigo. Without street-lamps on the highway, it appeared as a trail of tail-lights floating through space, gradually disappearing into a great void. The hours blurred seamlessly into one another.

Long after many of the other points of light had vanished into the vast nothing of nighttime, she arrived at her exit, pulling off too quickly and presuming herself dead before straightening out again. The road turned to stonework some ways down, and she pulled into the ragged parking lot beside the old Saloon. It was the same as she remembered, though the sign faded over the years. She killed the engine, grabbed her backpack and headed in through the large double doors, following the unmistakable scent of fries and beer.

For such a small town, the bar was awfully lively. Music rang through the speakers, glasses clinked on dishwasher carts, and pool balls clacked against one another. The chatter transformed into a low hum as the patrons spotted Edie. She assured herself that this was merely because people rarely see unfamiliar faces in local hubs, such as it is, and not because she had an unchecked coffee stain on her ass. Still, the stares were unnerving. She tugged her sweater down as a precaution and walked to the bar.

She missed loud clubs and the rotating circle rave friends. She missed the places where she could move undetected. A wraith weaving through a mist of perfume and smoke. She may as well have had have a spotlight and a dunce hat on her in the Stardrop.  
Mistake.  
Mistake.  
Mistake.  
Mercifully, the voices began to swell again.  
The girl at the counter had a shock of blue hair and arranged the liquor bottles like she was conducting a symphony.

Edie leaned on the bar. “Excuse me,” she strained over the music.

The woman looked over her shoulder and her eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise. “Well, hello there, sunshine, I don’t recall seeing you around here before.” She took both of Edie’s hands, cupping them like one would scoop an injured bird. “I’m Emily, and you are?”

Edie startled and resisted the urge to pull her hands away, “Um, Edith, I called earlier about a room.”  
“Of course!” she shouted and grabbed the key from the rack on the wall. “Just up the stairs, first room on the left.”  
She grabbed Edie’s hand and placed the key in her palm. She hoped not everyone was like this here.

“If you need anything at all, I’ll be right here until 2am. Otherwise, I’m on call and I’ll be here as soon as I can, beautiful. Check out is at 11.”

“Great, thanks.” Edie took her hand back, and hoped she didn’t snag it away too aggressively.

“Anything at all,” Emily called as Edie turned away.

She straightened her backpack and caught the eye of a dark-haired man sitting near the pool table. He turned away quickly, but not before she caught the unmistakeable curve of a shit-eating grin. _Thanks for your help_ , she thought at him, hoping he can feel her glare bore through his skull. He continued chatting with his friends who erupted with laughter. Edie slunk up the stairs, entered her room and flopped face-down on the bed. She let out an agonized moan into the comforter and prayed that she would be able to get her job back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little insert, but I hope you like it. I'm sorry it doesn't follow the actual beginning of the game, but I wanted to flesh out the journey into Stardew a little more. Tell me what you think, and drop me a Kudos if you're so inclined. Thank you again for reading if you've stuck around to here. 'ppreciate ya. :D


	3. Unbirthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you feel held by him? Does he feel like home to you?”  
> -Ari Aster (Midsommar)

She awoke to the horrible wailing of her phone. The lights - all ablaze - and the particularly gruesome string of drool that soaked into her sweater sleeve were unpleasant company to which she awoke. She shot up from the bed, stumbling over her feet on the way to the dresser. She desperately clawed at the offending siren, howling over the ringing in her ears, before realizing she had accidentally answered a call. Panicked, she clutched the phone to her ear.

“Hello, can you hear me?” The voice crackled through.

“Hi, yes this is Edith speaking.” 

“Hello, it’s Mayor Lewis calling, I was wondering what time you’d like to meet up so I can hand over your keys.”

“Oh, shit uh-“ the realization of what was happening swept through the room, threatening to take her out at her ankles. It only just occurred to her that she wasn’t even in her apartment. “Sorry, actually in an hour would work, does that work for you?”

“Yes, that’s perfect as a matter of fact, I’ll just be stepping out for lunch.” He chirped. She looked at the time: 11:15. She hadn’t slept this late in forever. The perks of unemployment, she supposed.

“Great, yeah. I’m actually at the Stardrop so"

“Wonderful! Would you bring a couple pizza’s then, whatever looks good.”

“Oh, yeah of course I-“

“Fabulous, I’ll see you at Satyr’s Brook in an hour! Cheers!”

“By-” _boop. boop. boop._

 _“_ Oh-kay” she sighed aloud. She wished she could be as enthusiastic as he was about the whole ordeal. She’d fallen heavily out of practice with dealing with such energetic people. Most she’d known recently were awfully drab, fading in and out of the concrete buildings surrounding them.

She noticed the drying patch of drool, still heavy on her sweater and grimaced. She smelled like death.

* * *

She scrubbed a layer of skin from her body, and changed into the crude outfit from her backpack before heading downstairs. She patted her pockets, ensuring she left nothing behind.

“By God!” A voice rang through the saloon, and startling her from her trance.

“If it isn’t little Edith Lowenthal, me ol’ trout.” Gus, who had moved to Stardew as a young man, never did shed the pleasant airiness of his East-Coast accent.

A smile, one that started at the bottom of her rib cage, crept up her face.

“Gus, oh my god,” she breathed. He trotted over and she hugged him tightly, afraid he’d blow away before her. His stout frame and pleasantly round gut made that a doubtful fantasy. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Yes, my girl, indeed it is!” He laughed heartily, and it made her chest hurt. “I can’t say I expected you back in town, seeing as you’re a big city woman now!”

“Yeah,” she tried to laugh, though it didn't quite reach her cheeks. “Guess I’m not really sure where I’m meant to be right now. Everything is fucked,” It slipped, and she was surprised by her honesty. His face, his voice, his laugh, it all brought something back she didn’t realize had been missing.

“Lord, don’t I knows it.” He clapped her on her arm. “Par for the course, I s’pose. Can’t believe yous came back, Lewis told me, shocked the bejesus outta me. Your pa never had a doubt that you’d be back.”

She couldn't hide her surprise, “Really?”

“Yes, stubborn old goat, he was. I says there’s no way she’ll be wantin’ to come back here, not now that she’s a business lady, and he was says ‘just you wait, she’ll be back, I guarantee it.’ I says to ‘im ‘My son, what makes you so certain she’ll want your godforsaken hunk’uh dirt anyway when she’s got all uh Zuzu before her? He says, Gus, here we at least have the sense to call our bullshit manure. Theres b’y they call their bullshit modern art.” He grabbed his stomach and let out a howling laugh. Edie couldn’t help but join him, it sounded just like her grandfather, quick-witted even on his last leg.

“Miss ‘im every day. Just not the same here without him.” His eyes softened.

“I know the feeling.” She replied. She cleared her throat, and straightened her back. “Listen, Gus, I gotta take off and meet Lewis at the farm, could I order a couple of pizzas? Just add them to my bill for the room, if that’s okay.”

“Yes, me girl, of course, I’ll have those up for ya in just a few minutes.” He slung a kitchen towel over his shoulder and breezed into kitchen, returning later with two boxes, the heavenly smell wafting through the room.

Edie pulled her out her card, noticing lunch missing from the receipt. “Gus, you forgot the pizzas.”

“Did I now?” he chuckled, “must've been a computer error, never could get the buggerin' things to work.” He winked, passed her the debit machine, and disappeared into the kitchen once more.

"Thank you," she called back, her voice catching on the knot in her throat. She wasn't sure if he heard her.

* * *

Her hatchback clattered up the gravel road, the rusted gateposts trembled in its midst. The old maples swayed inward, pulled by her gravity. The covering of trees opened up before her, revealing the expansive sky, ever-cocooning the old farm. The house stood, faded and ramshackle, her eyes brimmed with tears at its magnificence. The car rolled to a stop, and she breathed in sharply, attempting to stave off a sob.

The front door swung open with a thud.

"Edith, what a delight it is to have you here once again." Lewis exclaimed, his hand stretched out to her before she'd fully unlatched her seatbelt.

"It's been a long time," she mused.

"That it has! Come, bring lunch to the veranda, I'll grab plates. Robin's likely near-starved by now, she hasn't sat down since I told her you were coming back." He trotted off, swallowed by the front door. How was he not out of breath by now?

She attempted to dust the layer of dirt off of the rickety table. Realizing quickly that it was a lost cause, she placed the boxes down with a sigh. Lewis flew out the door with Robin hot on his trail.

"Hi, Doll! It's good to see you." she cried, wrapping Edie in a firm hug, which Edie accepted apprehensively. Robin stepped back and halted, wide-eyed and scanned Edie up and down. "Christ, I must be old. Last time I saw you, you were still a kid."

Edie looked to the sky, considering Robin's statement. "I think I would've been... what, 16?"

"Fuckin' eh, well when you're as old as I am, a 16-year-old is practically the same as a toddler."

Edie chuckled. Admittedly, she kind of felt the same way.

"Let's eat, and then we'll talk business." Robin said, slumping into the chair.

She was barely finished her first bite of pizza before she began her run-down of the property.

Everything was up and running, if in need of a little TLC. She excitedly gave the details of what she had been up to in the old house, gesticulating wildly all the while. "The furnace runs fine, but the filter needed changing something fierce, so that's all done for you. No AC in the house, but that shouldn't be a problem for another couple of months. I don't wanna bore you with all the technical stuff, but basically the essentials are fine, no mold, and you've got electricity and running water, it just needs a minute or two for it to run hot. The roof needs redoing, and there're a few leaks and obviously some water damage, but until then I've set up some handy-dandy buckets. I've still got a couple things to look at as well, but I can do that after you're settled, it's nothing urgent. And obviously, if you ever need anything, I'm always around, just gimme a call."

Edie was stunned by her generosity. She'd barely spoken to her when she was young, and now, after years of not so much as thinking of her, it was as if she was family. "I really can't thank you enough," Edie said. "I know Lewis said that my grandfather had prepaid for your work, but is there any way I can repay you for all of this work? I'm sure I owe you more than what he left you."

Robin waved at what was apparently a flagrant statement, her eyebrows scrunching together. "Don't be silly, I would have done it for nothing. I told him he didn't need to pay anything after all he did for me, and he said I should think of it as a gift for the kids college funds. He was a stubborn old bastard." She smiled absentmindedly.

Edith, amused and a little bit stunned, raised her eyebrows at the comment and snorted. Her grandfather would find it a fitting descriptor. “That he was,” she asserted. They smiled at each other warmly. Robin and her pa would have made great friends, she decided.

"Well, I better head out. I have a couple of jobs that I need to get out of the way." Robin said, pushing back her chair back and brushing her hands on her pre-dirtied jeans. "I doubt you need a tour of the house. Oh what do we owe you for lunch?"

Edie shook her head, mouth full of pizza crust. "Nothing, Gus gave it to me on the house."

"He's a good man, that one. The breaker's in the basement just as you get downstairs to the left, flip the switches off and on if the lights go out, but you shouldn't need to. Call me if you need help. Oh!" she clapped her hands together. "I think the tractor needs a new battery, the engine's not turning over. I'll tell my son to come have a look at it, he's good with machinery." She patted Lewis on the shoulder a tad too forcefully, almost causing him to choke, "Let's get outta here, Lew, I'm sure she's got things she wants to get done. Take care, sweetie, we'll see you soon."

Lewis handed her the keys, and she thanked them both again. Edie waved as the old orange truck roared down the driveway.

She hadn't been awake for terribly long, but she was exhausted. Her skin painful to the touch, a low hum of electricity flowing overtop. Laboriously, she approached the door. She let out a pained breath, turning the knob, slowly pushing it open and stepping inside.

Despite its incredible aging, it was just the same as the last day she'd seen it. All warm browns of the earth and the stony tiling of a cozy lodge. A faint fog of dust filled the air, catching the sunlight that streamed in through the broken curtain slats. The low rumble of the ancient furnace and the faint smell of old wood-burning swaddled her.

She backed against the front door and sank to the ground, pulling in her legs to her chest and resting her cheek on her knee. A child, tender and pink, in a great womb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally in the house, lads...


	4. Seed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Keep myself in beautiful places,  
> Paradise is in my hands”  
> -Lady Gaga (911)

Edie tried desperately to arrange her furniture in the house and make it look like it fit. Everything she brought was out of its respective box, but she hadn’t a clue where anything should go. It didn’t matter much. It was all cold and sterile, unwelcome modern artifacts intruding on this timeless hallowed space.

She hauled another bag of garbage from the house, the bag catching on a nail, and ripping open. Its contents spewed all across the veranda. She mutter obscenities and began to pick up the mess as a motorcycle pulled up to the house. 

A long-legged man swung his leg over the seat. She hadn’t pegged this town to have many motorcycle gang members. Wide-eyed she silently prayed her grandfather hadn’t forgot to mention any debts he’d left unchecked, but the man waved a hand shyly to her in greeting and took off his helmet. She was safe she assumed, for now.

He took off his helmet and shook out his mop of dark, curly hair. She took note of how attractive he was. “Sebastian,” he said, waving his hand once more.

“Edie,” she said, raising a hand back to him. “You’re here to have a look at the tractor?”

“That’s what I was told.” He sounded exasperated, annoyed even.

“Okay…” she picked at the skin under her thumbnail. “Anything I can do to help or–”

“Nah, I got it,” he cut her off crudely. “In the barn?”

“Yup.” Her eyes shifted down to her feet. “Thanks.”

He nodded and walked off. Robin was so cheerful and friendly, how could her son be so immediately grouchy? She frantically studied herself in the front hall’s mirror, smoothing her hair back and wiping dirt off of her face.

As the sun sank lower in the sky, more and more bags of garbage piled up outside her front door. Old blankets that were un-saveable, dirt, things she brought that she only just realized she hated, more dirt. Just as she went to take out her last bag, the door opened slightly.

“Hello?” the hot grumpy man shouted through the crack.

“Hey, how’d it go?”

“Fine.”

“What was wrong with it.”

“Mostly it’s old,” he said, clearly annoyed by such an obvious question. “There’s a lot of corrosion on the battery, you could probably use a new one, but shockingly it still works. Otherwise, not too much.”

Edie nodded, hoping she looked knowledgable and certain, “So is it good now, or?”

“Yeah, it’s running now, no worries. Got the front loader on so you can clean up the fields more easily.”

She tried to speak, but her throat caught. “-kay,” she acknowledged lamely.

“Anything else I can help with?” he asked, clearly anxious to leave.

“No, no, thank you. Do I owe you anything? Do you want coffee, too? I was just about to make some for myself.”

“Nothing, don’t worry about it. And no I’m alright, I gotta head out. Lemme know if there’re any problems with it.”

“Thanks.”

The door clicked closed. _I sure scared him off fast_ , she thought, and continued packing up her garbage.

* * *

The morning air was crisp. She had never been one for mornings in the city, but they had a kind of magical quality to them here. A thick mist hung over the fields, remnants of the dew that had settled overnight.

She walked along the dirt road, pebbles crunching beneath her feet, and wrapped her wool sweater tightly around her. For a moment she let herself consider this as a routine, walking into the downtown, collecting her supplies for the upcoming season, but quickly shook it away. This was only a temporary stay.

She moved through the thick air, trees blurring in and out of sight. A great clatter erupted from just past the veil of the mist. Edie slowed to a stop, and considered the ravenous wildlife that could surely be the culprit of such a noise.

That was until she heard an exasperated “Fuck sake” emanating from beyond the fog.

Edie crept up to the noise, clutching her keys between her fingers, lest she fall victim to a meticulously planned ambush. Her fears were assuaged when a girl bent over a collapsed canvas came into view.

Edie jogged up to her. “You okay?”

She looked up, surprised by the voice. “Oh. Hey. Yeah, I tripped and dropped all my shit.” She raised her hands in a shrug and clapped her hands against her thighs. She stood up and gestured to her canvas. “So much for early morning inspiration.”

Edie looked at the painting. It was a stunning blend of soft greys and greens. It took on the vague shape of a forest, hanging on the cliff’s edge above a lakeshore. There was also a humongous rip across the top left corner.

“Yikes,” Edie sympathized.

“Yeah, it really do be like that.” She sighed, hoisting the pieces of the canvas under her arm.

Edie giggled, “Boy, it sure do. Here-” she grabbed the canvas carefully around the edges “-I’ll follow you.”

“Oh, no you really don’t have to-”

“No, it’s okay. I was going to grab some seeds in town and give the farming thing a try, but it’s not like I know what I’m doing so I’m happy to put it off.”

The lady swept her long red braid back over her shoulder and straightened her overalls. “Are you trying a hobby garden then?”

“I don’t really know in all honesty. I just moved into my grandfathers’ old farm, so I thought I’d try plowing one of the fields and planting something.”

Her eyebrows raised in irreverent surprise, “Were you gonna carry that back to your farm on foot?”

“I-” Edie stuttered, “I mean I thought that they came in those little pouches.”

“Yeesh.” The girl uttered, “Well, once we drop this back at my house, I’ll help you out. You got a truck or something?”

“I do yeah but,” Edie paused, “it’s just a little hatchback so what are you thinking of doing?”

The lady pursed her lips, thoughtfully chewing on the bottom one, “We’ll make do, I guess.”

“Edie, by the way.”

“Charmed.” She responded, “Leah.”

* * *

Edith hopped into the driver’s seat of her car and clicked the seatbelt into place, Leah following swiftly along.

“So we’re still heading downtown right?” Edie asked, “Robin said I could grab seeds from a shop there.”

“Yeah, but it’s also a grocery store so it’s not hard to miss if you don’t know what to look for. Pierre’s General Store.”

“Oh, that’s right by the saloon.” Edie recognized.

“Yeah, around there. It’s closer to the main square, don’t worry, I’ll tell you where to turn.”

“Awesome, thank you.” Edie said, then paused. They barely talked the entire trip to Leah’s cabin and back, mostly pleasantries and remarking on the weather. “So did you grow up here?”

“God, no.” Leah snorted. “I’m a city bitch that just wanted a break.”

“Me too, I guess,” Edie breathed. “How do you know so much about farming, then?”

“Ah, took a job out here briefly as a farm hand when I was getting my feet planted. It was hard work but it was a good time. Definitely learned a lot.”

“That’s cool. Where’s the property?”

“It was a few concessions west of yours actually, but they basically abandoned it. They just farmed that lot and had a house in town that Joja apparently offered them a fortune for, so they sold and moved up north.”

“Hm,” Edie pondered as the general store came into view, “kind of a bummer.”

“You said it, sister,” Leah agreed. “Pull just around the back here and park. That way we can haul the seed bags into the trunk after we pay.”

Edie didn’t much like the sound of the word ‘haul’.

* * *

The sun set, a soft gradient tailing closely behind it. The later in the evening, the more securely coiled were her muscles. Her stomach pulled tight, humming like piano wire, freshly plucked. She laid on the couch, blanket wrapped hermetically around her body, fending off the external world.

She knew that she’d known little about farming, but had only just begun to comprehend exactly how little that was. Her body ached from lifting heavy seed bags into the back of her car and then out again, arranging them haphazardly in the barn. It was foolish to have spent so much money, when there was not guarantee that she could grow a thing. She thought about the cactus she managed to kill at her old work desk. More so, she thought about her grandfather’s disappointed look. The one he gave her when she knocked her grandmother’s favourite vase off of the side table immediately after he told her not to run in the house.

The shadows of trees shaken by the wind became monstrous under the moonlight. Her own skin took on a pale deathly hue. She wished she could cry, but she was too alert to sink into her sadness. And so she sat, stewing. Circling, and circling, and circling the drain.


	5. Doe-Eyed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is the face I wear treading the riptide,  
> Abysmal oceans where good girls go to die"  
> -Niykee Heaton (Bad Intentions)

As April slid quietly in, the sun lingered in the sky ever longer. Edie’s skin began to glow a light golden, mirroring the mid-afternoon light.

Since purchasing the seeds, she had worked tirelessly, clearing the main fields of debris, plowing, and seeding. Her tractor had a few new fresh scrapes on its already gnarled frame, but thanks to the help of Leah and Robin working her through it, she’d managed to get everything sown.

The snap peas were easy enough to plant. The seeder filled up quickly, and it only took a day to sow the entire east field. The potatoes needed a totally different tool, and after a mad search through the barn, they unearthed it from a pile of other similar looking equipment. To her it had looked like a pile of metal like any other, but felt much more like plucking excalibur from its confines.

Now three days later, with the much smaller potato tool, she had finally come to the end of the field. She looked back at her work, satisfied despite her earlier and much less even rows. She let out a long breath, and drove her tractor back to the barn, checking her snap peas on her walk back to the house.

Still no sprouts yet.

All the books she’d picked up from the library said that they only took about four days to germinate. She silently begged them to comply.

She was now finally able to tackle the overgrowth of dead whatever-it-was past the barn. Edie grabbed her axe from the wood shed beside the house and hauled it over her shoulder. Before turning to her next, much more gruelling duties, she caught a flash of red hair from the corner of her eye.

“Where you headin’ with the axe there, Paulina Bunyan?” Leah shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Edie snorted, “Timely reference, you old bat!”

Leah stopped in her tracks and clutched her hand to her heart, eyes wide in faux-horror. “I may be pushing thirty, but I don’t look a day over the tender age of 18, you fiend!”

Edie laughed. Leah had a way of making her feel comfortable. She certainly didn’t want to get her hopes up that they could be friends, but there was a delightful easiness to their conversations. Nobody on either side tried to pry too deep.

“I was gonna take out that patch of dead trees behind the barn. They look pretty rough and there’s tons of the fuckers,” Edie finally replied.

Leah blinked in amused surprise, “The grapes?”

“What?” Edie replied, bemused.

“You’re talking about the grapevines right? With the wooden stakes?”

“Sure, whatever they are, they’re all dead,” Edie barked.

“They’re probably dormant,” Leah explained. “They take a lil nap to escape the harsher months,” she joked.

“Ah!” Edie exclaimed. “Kinda like us escaping here?” she jabbed.

She thought she saw Leah flinch, “I guess so, yeah,” she replied scratching the back of her neck. “I wasn’t gonna stay for long, I was just out for a hike and wanted to know if you were game for the bar tomorrow night.”

Edie wrinkled her nose, pondering the idea. “Is it any fun here? I mean, is there anybody under the age of 50 that even knows about the Saloon?”

“Yeah, it’s a pretty good time. There’s a group of people our age that hang out there and play pool every Friday, they’re nice.” Leah picked at the end of her braid and a hint of a blush played on her cheeks.

Edie raised her eyebrows, tickled by Leah’s unexpected bashfulness. “Any of them cute?”

“No- I-” Leah stuttered. She gave Edie a hard look look and let out a long exhale, “Actually, there’s-. There’s this one girl.” She looked up at Edie, who had a massive grin, and continued, “ her name’s Haley. And I’m a Sagittarius and she’s an Aries, so we’re practically meant to be together.” Edie giggled.

Edie sighed and put her axe back down, “Yeah, that sounds nice, honestly. I could use an excuse to put on makeup.”

“ _Woof_ ” Leah burst out, “That’s maybe too much effort for the Stardrop. Swing by my place around 8 for pre-drinks?”

“I’ll be there,” Edie answered. “I’m gonna go look up grape farming now, for no reason in particular.”

* * *

Edie was already woozy from the vodka Leah picked up. It smelled like lighter fluid and tasted twice as bad, but it was an easy way to take the edge off. It made her dread going to the Stardrop less, but only slightly.

The made their way up the stairs of the saloon, dodging drunken patrons and a small horde of smokers. It was awfully lively, more-so than her first night in. Leah swung open the double doors, Edie in tow. They turned into a warm wood-panelled room with several pool tables. It had the air of a log cabin, a tall wood-carved bear stood in the corned, touring over her guests.

“What took you so long?” a dark-haired girl shouted from the corner. She was covered head-to-toe in black leather and tattoos. She was also stunning.

“I was primping.” Leah said, not a hint of makeup on her face.

The lady perched like a cat on the arm of the sofa near the back wall where a man sat. As they approached, Edie realized that the man sitting in the sofa was Sebastian. _Awesome_.

“This is Edie,” Leah said. Evidently, that was all the introduction she needed.

“Nice to meet you, dolly. I’m Abby.” The dark lady said.

“You too.” Edie replied shyly, and waved quickly to Sebastian in greeting. He nodded his head at her and took a long swig from his beer,emptying the glass.

A blonde man approached them from behind with a pitcher of beer and a tray of glasses. “Let’s fucking GOOO!” he shouted, massive grin spamming his entire face. “Hey, new chick, beer?” he asked, handing her a glass before she had time to respond.

“Oh, okay, thank you,” she fumbled as he began to fill up her pint.

“This is Sam,” Leah said. Her tone indicated that this was fairly typical behaviour of him.

“Thanks, Sam.” Edie said amused.

“You’re very welcome, anything for a pretty lady.” He smiled at her with a striking grin. She was just drunk enough to meet his eyes and smile in response. “Lee?” He gestured the pitcher towards Leah.

“God, yes.” She said grabbing a glass, and leaning in to his ear as he poured. “Unrelated, have you seen Haley around?”

“Not yet, but if I do, I’ll fire the signal.”

“Smoke signals are my preferred method of contact.”

“I’ll use Abby’s vape.” Sam replied and headed over to pour beers for the other two. They were practically made for each other. Apparently Sebastian was much funnier than he let on, because Abigail hadn’t stopped giggling since they got there. Edie hoped it wasn’t about her.

A voice erupted from behind her, shaking her out of her thoughts. “Hey!” The girl said, placing a hand seductively on Leah’s shoulder. Leah, surprised, sputtered on her mouthful of beer, but managed to compose herself.

“I can’t believe you almost killed me.” She said in horror as the blonde girl laughed. This was Haley for sure. Her eyelashes were impeccable, and most certainly not real.

Haley started telling Leah about hiking up the mountain and all of the pictures she took. Haley spoke more with her hands than her mouth, gesturing wildly, touching Leah’s arm frequently. Leah stood in amazement, clearly entranced by Haley’s excitement, and had forgotten all about Edie.

Edie hovered around the pair, lost. She watched other patrons a while as they skittered around like beetles. Before she was fully aware, she’d finished her beer. The room slowly started shifting and closing in around her. The friendly chatter too loud, the upbeat music too manic. She found it harder to breath, and pulled at her necklace to make sure it wasn’t choking her. She needed air desperately.

She weaved through the crowd, reaching the doors, and slunk through them. She went around to the side of the saloon, where it was quieter and leaned back against the brick, trying to catch her breath. She rested her head in her hands and tried to maintain her balance.

“You... okay?”

Edie looked up, taken aback. Sebastian stood nursing a cigarette.

“Just needed some air,” she replied. “I didn’t see you there.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” He took another drag from the cigarette.

“No, no worries.” She paused. “Any chance I can have one of those?”

“Uhh- oh sure.” He patted his pockets frantically and held the pack to her.

“Thanks.” She said grabbing one from the pack, trying to steady her hand.

Instinctively, he grabbed his lighter and flicked it on, holding it for her. She put the cigarette in her mouth and leaned in. She met his eyes as the cigarette crackled, masked by a plume of smoke as she exhaled.

“I didn’t take you for a smoker,” he said.

“Only very special occasions,” she replied.

He stammered, “you sure you’re okay?”

She let out a long exhale. “Yeah. The bar was more crowded than I was expecting, I just needed a minute.”

“There’s really not much else to do around here,” he quipped.

“Fair point,” she acknowledged.

“So...” he said with a lilt. “You really left the city for _here?”_

Edie pursed her lips together, “I mean, it’s pretty beautiful around here and everyone’s been really nice so far. I don’t know if I’m even staying though.”

“Give it a month, I’m sure you’ll wanna go back.”

Edie was irritated by this. “Why’s that?”

He shrugged, “you’re basically looking at all the entertainment here,” he explained gesturing to the bar. “And least there’s some kind of anonymity around all those people in the city. It’s small enough here that everybody knows everything about you before you do.”

“At least people seem to give a shit here,” she spat. Why did that upset her? She suddenly felt bad. “Different strokes for different folks, I suppose,” she remedied.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “Anyway, I’m gonna take off. I have a project to finish.” He put his cigarette out on the wall.

“Oh, okay. Thanks for the smoke.”

“No worries,” he replied. “Have a good night.”

“Thanks, you too.”

He walked toward the road, and flicked his cigarette butt in the trash can.

Edie walked in through the doors once again, stumbling a little. She was drunker than she thought. Leah and Haley were standing over at the bar, shoulders nearly touching. She would get her jacket and sneak away quietly, she decided.

As she re-entered the back room, Sam caught her. “Yo, I thought you left! I got another round, you in?”

“Oh, actually I was just about to grab my things and head out.”

“Ah, come on,” he retorted, “the night just started, and I can’t drink all this myself!”

Edie looked at the floor and back up again. What could it hurt? “Sure okay, pour me another.”

“Hell yeah!” he shouted. He expertly poured the amber beer into her cup, filling it to the brim. “Chin chin,” he exclaimed clinking their glasses together.

“Thanks, I’ll give you some cash for it.”

“Consider it a welcome gift.” He flashed his beaming grin at her. He was awfully handsome.

He asked her about why she moved here and she explained the ordeal, her shitty job, the seeds that wouldn’t grow. Sam was easy to talk to, or maybe the beer was strong. He nodded politely along, wavering ever so slightly as he stood listening. Okay, so the beer was strong.

“Well, it’s nice to have a new face in the valley,” he said. “‘Specially one so attractive.”

Edie smiled, “you’re not so bad yourself.”

He brooded over, one arm leaning on the doorway, inching closer. Edie had forgotten all about what Sebastian told her about Pelican Town being so small. Their lips nearly met when they were shaken from the moment.

“That’s great, Sam. I’m late and you think that gives you free rein to hookup with anything that moves.”

 _Oh shit_.

Edie looked back at the girl. She had tears in her eyes, arms crossed like an angry school teacher.

“Penn, I thought-” he held his hands out helplessly toward her, palms up, like a desperate man calling upon an unmerciful god. She stormed out, clutching herself tightly.

“Pen-” he looked at Edie apologetically and then turned back. “look I’m sorry I- Penny wait!” He cried as he ran after her.

_Anything that moves._

_Fuck._

Edie looked around the room, disoriented.

She caught Abby’s eye, who quickly looked away, and took a sip from her drink.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

She couldn’t see Leah anywhere.

She should have just left when she had the chance.

She was also definitely about to puke.

Edie ran out of the bar, bumping through the crowd of people, hot tears stinging her eyes. She made her way down the stairs and bumped into Leah out on the walkway, just about to re-enter the bar.

“Woah, hey, are you-”

Edie turned just fast enough to avoid hitting Leah, throwing up all over the curb.

“Holy shit, okay let’s get you home.”

Someone whooped from the front deck of the bar and Leah scowled and gave them the finger.

“What happened?” she asked, concerned.

Edie just shook her head and clutched herself tightly.

“Okay, it’s alright.” She reassured Edie, much with the tone of a woman coaxing a scared animal out of hiding.She put her arm around Edie’s shoulders and they headed off into the night.

* * *

The landscape glowed orange with the approach of nightfall. The clouds above aflame with the light of the late sun. Edie was still groggy from the night before, brain swimming in her skull. She barely moved from the couch all day, only to get more water or use the bathroom.

Her semi-lucid musings throughout the day were punctuated by hopeless visions of the future. The townsfolk who thought of her now as the resident home wrecker. The only friend she had here who she certainly lost by acting like a total basket case. The fucking seeds that weren’t sprouting.

Her stomach clenched tight. Her joints felt as though they were locked into place. The black of night crept over the horizon and across the sky. A single thought spurred her into action.

_Go._

She leapt from the couch, frantically grabbing her keys and wallet. She would hire movers for her things. Her heart pounded in her chest, rattling her ribcage and burning her ears.

She escaped the house and jumped into her car, shoving the keys in the ignition. She sped down the driveway, rocks spitting out behind her. Edie flew down the gravel roads, swerving around corners.

As she came around a curve two small lights came into view in front of her.

No, they were eyes.

A doe, standing in the middle of the road, dumfounded by the oncoming vehicle.

Edie jerked the wheel to avoid her, the doe fled in the opposite direction.

The car flew off the side of the road missing the ditch and landing on the other side. Edie throttled the brake, but it was useless against the momentum.

The car only came to a stop as it rammed into an onlooking maple tree, the front end folding in like tinfoil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😬


End file.
